O'Brien urges caution in taking 'us against the world' approach at Penn State

Football players wear chips on their shoulders the size of their pads, and Bill O'Brien expects his kids to do the same — on the field. Off the field, however, the Penn State coach is urging caution at such an approach.

"When we play football, just like the team that we're playing, we'll have a chip on our shoulder just like every football team should," O'Brien said. "But at the end of the day it's not us against the world. It's about Penn State. [It's about] these kids caring about their education, and the fact that they have a chance to go out there and do something pretty special in a lot of different ways."

Since last November, the Nittany Lions have been hardened by a scandal that engulfed their football building, led to their late coach's firing and fed demands that they not be allowed to play football. This year, because of NCAA sanctions, players watched teammates transfer from a squad that is ineligible for the Big Ten title or a bowl game.

Nine months of scrutiny has produced a reflexive response.

"It is us against the world," quarterback Matt McGloin said. "But at the same time, I know I like to be in that position, I know a lot of guys on the team like that spot. The spotlight's on us, and we're excited to play Sept. 1 [against Ohio]."

That approach is fine on the field, O'Brien said, but not off it. Penn State has a platform to bring awareness to child-abuse issues, which O'Brien said the team will use.

Players will wear blue ribbons to support victims of abuse, and the university is asking fans to wear blue for the Sept. 15 home game against Temple. Penn State will collect donations for the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape, for which O'Brien said players will volunteer in the future.

"Instead of saying it's us against them, let's go out and play good football and think about the fact that maybe this is a little bit about more than football, that this is about helping a community," O'Brien said. "This is about bringing more awareness, much more awareness, to child abuse. This is about making sure that we help lead this University … through the next three or four years that will be a challenge, but that's what life is about."

The redshirting conundrum: Among the stickier concerns O'Brien faces is the ongoing transfer situation. The transfer rules the NCAA imposed on Penn State permit players to leave the team during the season.

Those who transfer without playing for Penn State would be eligible to play immediately at their new school. Those who do play can transfer but must sit out the remainder of the season.

That forced O'Brien and his staff into a difficult situation: Do they play scholarship players early in order to diminish the likelihood of an in-season transfer? O'Brien said that is still up for discussion.

"It depends on how the game goes," O'Brien said. "If it's a close game, we'll play our best players and do what we have to do to win the game."

O'Brien said his philosophy regarding freshmen is to "play the best players," and he has mentioned several who could contribute. Among them are running back Akeel Lynch, tight end Jesse James and defensive backs Da'Quan Davis and Jordan Lucas.

Depth concerns, particularly in the secondary, likely will press a number of true freshmen into action.

"There are definitely some freshmen who have really stood out to us," O'Brien said. "More than likely, we'll have a discussion over the next week about them going into the Ohio game, [about] how much these guys are going to play. Because if you're going to play freshmen, you need to really play them, so you don't come out at the end of the year with a freshman only playing 10 plays and he burned his redshirt year."

3 points about Penn State

1.Sophomore Bill Belton has blossomed since moving from receiver to running back and will replace the departed Silas Redd as starter.

"He has definitely cemented himself as the starter at this point," head coach Bill O'Brien said. "He's had a good camp. He had an 80-yard touchdown run two scrimmages ago and his pass protection is better. Billy is a good football player."

2.Sophomore Sam Ficken is the likely candidate to replace Anthony Fera as the placekicker, but the punting job remains "up in the air." Alex Butterworth, who punted eight times last year, and Bethlehem native Matt Marcincin are competing for the spot. Marcincin is a redshirt freshman walk-on who kicked and punted at Blair Academy.

"Alex shows flashes, Marcincin shows flashes, and the next punt is not very good," O'Brien said. "They really have to be more consistent. I think it's an ongoing battle there."

3.Despite depth concerns in the secondary, O'Brien has not shifted any receivers to play defensive back. This week, Penn State confirmed that cornerback Mike Wallace will miss the season because of a pectoral tear that sidelined him during spring drills.

Safety Jake Fagnano (hamstring) has been injured, and two defensive backs (Derrick Thomas and Curtis Drake) left the team after spring drills. Thomas transferred to Marshall along with former receiver Devon Smith.